Marketsmedia. Prop Traders Seek Flexible Platforms

October 5, 2010

In a turbulent trading environment where strategies that work well today can be obsolete tomorrow, the last thing a prop trader needs is a technology platform that's wedded to a single asset class or trading strategy.

InfoReach, a provider of global, multi- and cross-asset, broker-neutral trading solutions, has designed its technology to be implemented rapidly and with maximum flexibility. "InfoReach designed its architecture from the ground up to be scalable, multi-asset and fully customizable, its solutions are easily deployed within weeks," InfoReach CEO Allen Zaydlin, told Markets Media. "This is a key differentiator from other providers who take 6-12 months just to deploy an EMS with similar functionality."

Core solutions include the InfoReach TMS (Trade Management System), InfoReach "HiFREQ" and the InfoReach FIX Engine. Also called an EMS, the InfoReach TMS consolidates pre/in/post-trade analysis tools, pre-built and broker-provided algorithms, real-time, interactive charts and position monitoring, multi-asset and portfolio trading capabilities, order management and FIX connectivity in a single platform. Traders can employ advanced strategies across equities, options, futures and FX.

InfoReach FIX Engine is available separately to traders who don't need a front-end EMS but still want multi-broker routing. It can connect to any global FIX-compliant destination, and now connects to more than 140 brokers, ECNs, MTFs, exchanges, ATSs, dark pools and other major sources of global liquidity for equities, options, futures and FX. The EMS and FIX engine can be used separately or in tandem.

"If a trader already has a broker, then they can just use the EMS without the FIX connectivity," said Zaydlin. "But if a prop trader wants to execute through more than one broker, they can use EMS in conjunction with the FIX connectivity routing. Conversely, if a firm already has its own EMS, they can just use InfoReach's connectivity."

HiFREQ is a turnkey offering that lets traders harness HFT technology without having to build and maintain their own infrastructure. It supports high-speed, high-volume strategy-driven trading for global equities, futures, options and foreign exchange, and can execute 20,000+ orders per second at sub-millisecond roundtrip latency.

Because all InfoReach technology was built from the ground up to be multiasset, multiregion and broker neutral, it takes just a matter of weeks to deploy. And it affords prop traders the ability to switch out trading strategies rapidly.

"Once a prop trader identifies an opportunity, it needs to be put into action quickly," said Zaydlin. "Markets are cyclical; what worked a few months ago might not work today."